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Lequel de ces billets est encore valable ?

Lequel de ces billets est encore valable ?
Which of these tickets is still valid?

Breakdown of Lequel de ces billets est encore valable ?

être
to be
de
of
ces
these
encore
still
le billet
the ticket
valable
valid
lequel
which one
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Questions & Answers about Lequel de ces billets est encore valable ?

Why does the sentence use lequel instead of quel?

Lequel means which one, while quel usually means which before a noun.

  • Quel billet est encore valable ? = Which ticket is still valid?
  • Lequel de ces billets est encore valable ? = Which one of these tickets is still valid?

So lequel is used because the noun has already been introduced by de ces billets, and French is asking for which one out of a group.

Why is there de in lequel de ces billets?

The structure lequel de + noun phrase means which one of + noun phrase.

So:

  • lequel de ces billets = which one of these tickets

This is a very common pattern in French:

  • Lequel de ces livres préfères-tu ? = Which of these books do you prefer?
  • Laquelle de ces robes est la plus chère ? = Which of these dresses is the most expensive?
Why is it ces billets and not des billets?

Ces means these. It points to specific tickets the speaker has in mind.

  • ces billets = these tickets
  • des billets = some tickets

Since the sentence is about choosing from a specific set, ces is the natural choice.

Why is the verb est singular?

Because lequel is singular. Even though billets is plural, the sentence is really asking about one ticket out of the group.

So the grammatical subject is lequel:

  • Lequel ... est ... ? = Which one ... is ... ?

If the question were about more than one ticket, French would use the plural:

  • Lesquels de ces billets sont encore valables ? = Which of these tickets are still valid?
Why is valable singular?

It agrees with the thing referred to by lequel, which is singular: one ticket.

Here:

  • lequel = singular masculine
  • valable = singular form

A useful detail: valable has the same form in masculine and feminine singular, but the plural adds -s:

  • singular: valable
  • plural: valables

So:

  • Lequel ... est valable ?
  • Lesquels ... sont valables ?
What does encore mean here?

Here encore means still.

So est encore valable means is still valid or is still usable.

It suggests that validity may expire, and the speaker wants to know whether one ticket has not expired yet.

Be careful: encore can have different meanings depending on context, such as again or more, but in this sentence it clearly means still.

Does billet definitely mean ticket here?

Usually, yes, in this context. But billet can also mean other things depending on the situation, such as a banknote or a note/slip in some contexts.

Common meanings include:

  • billet de train = train ticket
  • billet d’avion = plane ticket
  • billet de banque = banknote

In Lequel de ces billets est encore valable ?, the presence of valable strongly suggests ticket, since tickets are commonly described as valid or no longer valid.

Could French also say valide instead of valable?

Sometimes, yes, but valable is very natural for tickets, passes, offers, documents, and things that have a period of validity.

  • un billet valable = a valid ticket / a ticket that can still be used

Valide can also mean valid, but it is often used in slightly different contexts, and valable is especially common when something is officially accepted or usable.

For a learner, it is safest to treat billet valable as a very normal expression.

How is Lequel de ces billets est encore valable ? pronounced?

A careful pronunciation is approximately:

luh-KEL duh say bee-YAY eh-tahn-KOR va-LABL

A more IPA-style version is:

/lə.kɛl də se bi.je ɛ.t‿ɑ̃.kɔʁ va.labl/

A few helpful notes:

  • lequel: the final -l is pronounced
  • ces sounds like say
  • billets sounds like bee-yay
  • there is usually a liaison between est and encore: est encore sounds like eh-tankor
Why does French ask the question in this word order instead of using qu’est-ce que?

French often forms questions with an interrogative word first, followed by the verb:

  • Lequel ... est ... ?

This is a normal and natural question structure.

You would not usually use qu’est-ce que here, because qu’est-ce que means something like what and does not fit the idea of which one.

So:

  • Lequel de ces billets est encore valable ? = correct
  • Qu’est-ce que de ces billets est encore valable ? = incorrect
How would this sentence change if the noun were feminine or plural?

Lequel changes to match the gender and number of the noun being referred to:

  • lequel = masculine singular
  • laquelle = feminine singular
  • lesquels = masculine plural
  • lesquelles = feminine plural

Examples:

  • Laquelle de ces cartes est encore valable ? = Which of these cards is still valid?
  • Lesquels de ces billets sont encore valables ? = Which of these tickets are still valid?
  • Lesquelles de ces offres sont encore valables ? = Which of these offers are still valid?

In your sentence, billet is masculine singular when referred to as which one, so lequel is the right form.